elaine_crud 0.1.0

data/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md

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+# ElaineCrud Architecture Documentation
+
+## Overview
+
+ElaineCrud is a Ruby gem that provides a Rails Engine for rapidly generating CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) interfaces for ActiveRecord models. The gem follows Rails conventions and provides a minimal, ergonomic DSL for creating database admin interfaces with zero boilerplate.
+
+## Design Goals
+
+- **Minimal Configuration**: Developers should only need to specify the model and permitted attributes
+- **Convention over Configuration**: Follow Rails patterns and conventions
+- **Non-Mountable Engine**: Integrate seamlessly with host applications without namespace isolation
+- **Zero External Dependencies**: Only depend on Rails itself
+- **Customizable**: Allow host applications to override views and behavior
+- **Modern UI**: Provide clean, responsive interfaces using TailwindCSS
+
+## Architecture Overview
+
+```
+┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
+│                        Host Rails App                           │
+│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
+│  │              Custom Controller                            │  │
+│  │  class PeopleController < ElaineCrud::BaseController      │  │
+│  │    model Person                                           │  │
+│  │    permit_params :name, :email                           │  │
+│  │  end                                                      │  │
+│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
+│                               │                                 │
+│                               ▼                                 │
+│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
+│  │                   Routes                                  │  │
+│  │  resources :people                                        │  │
+│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
+└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
+                               │
+                               ▼
+┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
+│                      ElaineCrud Engine                          │
+│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
+│  │                 BaseController                            │  │
+│  │  • Model introspection                                   │  │
+│  │  • Standard CRUD actions                                 │  │
+│  │  • Strong parameters                                     │  │
+│  │  • Column detection                                      │  │
+│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
+│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
+│  │                 Default Views                             │  │
+│  │  • Index listing with table                              │  │
+│  │  • Smart column formatting                               │  │
+│  │  • Action buttons (Edit, Delete)                         │  │
+│  │  • TailwindCSS styling                                   │  │
+│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
+│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
+│  │                   Helpers                                 │  │
+│  │  • Column value formatting                               │  │
+│  │  • Boolean/Date display logic                            │  │
+│  │  • Truncation and styling                                │  │
+│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
+└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
+```
+
+## File Structure
+
+```
+elaine_crud/
+├── elaine_crud.gemspec          # Gem specification
+├── Gemfile                      # Development dependencies
+├── lib/
+│   ├── elaine_crud.rb          # Main gem entry point
+│   └── elaine_crud/
+│       ├── version.rb          # Version constant
+│       └── engine.rb           # Rails Engine configuration
+├── app/
+│   ├── controllers/
+│   │   └── elaine_crud/
+│   │       └── base_controller.rb    # Core CRUD controller logic
+│   ├── helpers/
+│   │   └── elaine_crud/
+│   │       └── base_helper.rb        # View helper methods
+│   └── views/
+│       └── elaine_crud/
+│           └── base/
+│               └── index.html.erb    # Default index view template
+└── docs/
+    └── ARCHITECTURE.md         # This documentation file
+```
+
+## Core Components
+
+### 1. Engine Configuration (`lib/elaine_crud/engine.rb`)
+
+The Rails Engine is configured as **non-mountable** to integrate seamlessly with host applications:
+
+```ruby
+module ElaineCrud
+  class Engine < ::Rails::Engine
+    # Non-mountable engine - do not call isolate_namespace
+    
+    # Make app directories available to autoloader
+    config.autoload_paths << File.expand_path('../../app/controllers', __dir__)
+    config.autoload_paths << File.expand_path('../../app/helpers', __dir__)
+    
+    # Add views to Rails view path
+    initializer 'elaine_crud.append_view_paths' do |app|
+      ActiveSupport.on_load :action_controller do
+        append_view_path File.expand_path('../../app/views', __dir__)
+      end
+    end
+    
+    # Include helpers globally
+    initializer 'elaine_crud.include_helpers' do
+      ActiveSupport.on_load :action_controller do
+        include ElaineCrud::BaseHelper
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
+```
+
+**Key Design Decisions:**
+- No `isolate_namespace` call ensures classes are available in global namespace
+- Autoload paths ensure proper class loading
+- View paths are appended, allowing host app views to override engine views
+- Helpers are included globally for maximum compatibility
+
+### 2. BaseController (`app/controllers/elaine_crud/base_controller.rb`)
+
+The heart of the gem, providing a DSL and CRUD functionality:
+
+```ruby
+class ElaineCrud::BaseController < ActionController::Base
+  # No layout specified - host app controllers set their own layout
+  
+  # Class-level configuration
+  class_attribute :crud_model, :permitted_attributes, :column_configurations
+  
+  # DSL Methods
+  class << self
+    def model(model_class)
+      self.crud_model = model_class
+    end
+    
+    def permit_params(*attrs)
+      self.permitted_attributes = attrs
+    end
+    
+    def columns(config = {})
+      self.column_configurations = config
+    end
+  end
+  
+  # Standard CRUD actions: index, show, new, create, edit, update, destroy
+end
+```
+
+**Features:**
+- **Layout Agnostic**: No layout specified, host app controls HTML structure
+- **Model Introspection**: Automatically detects columns and relationships
+- **Strong Parameters**: Uses configured permitted attributes
+- **Column Detection**: Filters out ID and timestamp columns by default
+- **Extensible**: Subclasses can override any method for custom behavior
+
+### 3. View Helpers (`app/helpers/elaine_crud/base_helper.rb`)
+
+Smart formatting for different data types:
+
+```ruby
+def display_column_value(record, column)
+  value = record.public_send(column)
+  
+  case value
+  when nil
+    content_tag(:span, '—', class: 'text-gray-400')
+  when true
+    content_tag(:span, '✓', class: 'text-green-600 font-bold')
+  when false
+    content_tag(:span, '✗', class: 'text-red-600 font-bold')
+  when Date, DateTime, Time
+    value.strftime('%m/%d/%Y')
+  else
+    truncate(value.to_s, length: 50)
+  end
+end
+```
+
+**Features:**
+- **Type-Aware Formatting**: Different display logic for booleans, dates, nil values
+- **Consistent Styling**: Uses TailwindCSS classes for visual consistency
+- **Truncation**: Prevents long text from breaking table layout
+
+### 4. Default Views (`app/views/elaine_crud/base/index.html.erb`)
+
+Modern, responsive table interface:
+
+```erb
+<div class="container mx-auto px-4 py-8">
+  <div class="flex justify-between items-center mb-6">
+    <h1 class="text-3xl font-bold text-gray-900"><%= @model_name.pluralize %></h1>
+    <%= link_to "New #{@model_name}", url_for(action: :new), 
+        class: "bg-blue-500 hover:bg-blue-700 text-white font-bold py-2 px-4 rounded" %>
+  </div>
+
+  <% if @records.any? %>
+    <!-- Responsive table with TailwindCSS styling -->
+  <% else %>
+    <!-- Empty state with call-to-action -->
+  <% end %>
+</div>
+```
+
+**Features:**
+- **Responsive Design**: Works on mobile and desktop
+- **TailwindCSS Styling**: Modern, clean appearance
+- **Empty States**: Helpful messaging when no records exist
+- **Action Buttons**: Edit and Delete functionality
+
+## Usage Pattern
+
+### 1. Host Application Setup
+
+Add to `Gemfile`:
+```ruby
+gem "elaine_crud", path: "../elaine_crud"
+```
+
+### 2. Controller Creation
+
+Create a minimal controller:
+```ruby
+class PeopleController < ElaineCrud::BaseController
+  layout 'application'  # Host app specifies layout (header/footer/styling)
+  
+  model Person
+  permit_params :name, :email, :phone, :active
+end
+```
+
+### 3. Route Configuration
+
+Add standard Rails routes:
+```ruby
+resources :people
+```
+
+### 4. Instant CRUD Interface
+
+Navigate to `/people` for a fully functional CRUD interface with:
+- Table listing of all records
+- Automatic column detection and formatting
+- Edit and delete functionality
+- Clean, modern styling
+
+## TailwindCSS Integration
+
+### The Challenge
+
+ElaineCrud provides views with TailwindCSS classes, but the gem itself doesn't bundle CSS. The host application needs to include these classes in its TailwindCSS build process.
+
+### Solution Options
+
+#### 1. Update Host App TailwindCSS Config (Recommended)
+
+Add the gem's files to `tailwind.config.js`:
+
+```javascript
+module.exports = {
+  content: [
+    './app/views/**/*.html.erb',
+    './app/helpers/**/*.rb',
+    './app/assets/stylesheets/**/*.css',
+    './app/javascript/**/*.js',
+    // Include elaine_crud gem views for TailwindCSS class detection
+    '../elaine_crud/app/views/**/*.html.erb',
+    '../elaine_crud/app/helpers/**/*.rb'
+  ],
+  // ... rest of config
+}
+```
+
+#### 2. Safelist Critical Classes
+
+Alternatively, add commonly used classes to the safelist:
+
+```javascript
+module.exports = {
+  safelist: [
+    'container', 'mx-auto', 'px-4', 'py-8',
+    'bg-blue-500', 'hover:bg-blue-700', 'text-white',
+    'bg-white', 'shadow-md', 'rounded-lg',
+    'table', 'min-w-full', 'divide-y', 'divide-gray-200',
+    // ... other ElaineCrud classes
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+#### 3. Gem-Level Configuration (Future Enhancement)
+
+Future versions could provide a TailwindCSS plugin or configuration helper:
+
+```ruby
+# Potential future API
+ElaineCrud.configure_tailwind(Rails.root.join('tailwind.config.js'))
+```
+
+### Current Status
+
+The implemented solution updates the host application's TailwindCSS configuration to scan the gem's view files. This ensures all TailwindCSS classes used by ElaineCrud are included in the final CSS bundle.
+
+## Current Implementation Status
+
+### ✅ Completed Features
+
+1. **Basic Gem Structure**
+   - Proper gemspec with Rails dependency
+   - Non-mountable engine configuration
+   - Autoloading and view path setup
+
+2. **Core Controller**
+   - DSL for model and parameter configuration
+   - Standard CRUD action implementations
+   - Strong parameter handling
+   - Automatic column detection
+
+3. **View System**
+   - Responsive index view with TailwindCSS
+   - Smart column value formatting
+   - Action buttons for edit/delete operations
+   - Empty state handling
+
+4. **Helper System**
+   - Type-aware value formatting
+   - Boolean, date, and nil value handling
+   - Text truncation for long content
+
+5. **Integration Testing**
+   - Successfully integrated with kotirails app
+   - Working daycare_browser controller for DaycareEntry model
+   - Verified HTTP 200 responses and proper HTML rendering
+
+### 🚧 Future Enhancements (Not Yet Implemented)
+
+1. **Sorting**: Clickable column headers for sorting
+2. **Pagination**: Built-in pagination for large datasets
+3. **Search/Filtering**: Basic search functionality
+4. **Form Views**: New and edit form templates
+5. **Column Configuration**: Advanced column display customization
+6. **Validation Handling**: Proper error display for form submissions
+
+## Design Philosophy
+
+### Separation of Concerns
+
+The gem follows a clean separation between content and presentation:
+- **Engine provides**: CRUD logic, data formatting, content templates
+- **Host app provides**: Layout, styling, HTML structure, navigation
+- **Host app controls**: Headers, footers, CSS frameworks, page structure
+
+### Convention over Configuration
+
+The gem follows Rails conventions wherever possible:
+- Standard CRUD action names
+- RESTful routing patterns
+- ActiveRecord assumptions
+- Rails view helper patterns
+
+### Minimal API Surface
+
+The DSL is intentionally small:
+- `model` - specify the ActiveRecord class
+- `permit_params` - define strong parameters
+- `layout` - host app specifies which layout to use
+- `columns` - (future) customize column display
+
+### Extensibility
+
+Host applications can override any behavior:
+- Views override engine views by Rails precedence
+- Controller methods can be overridden in subclasses
+- Helpers can be customized or extended
+- Layout and styling completely controlled by host app
+
+### Zero Configuration Default
+
+The gem works with zero configuration for basic use cases:
+- Automatic column detection
+- Sensible defaults for display formatting
+- Standard CRUD operations out of the box
+
+## Example: DaycareEntry Integration
+
+The implemented example shows the gem in action:
+
+```ruby
+# Controller (10 lines)
+class DaycareBrowserController < ElaineCrud::BaseController
+  model DaycareEntry
+  permit_params :date, :pupu_sleep, :pupu_eat, :pentu_sleep, :pentu_eat
+end
+
+# Route (1 line)
+resources :daycare_browser, except: [:show]
+```
+
+This generates a complete CRUD interface for the DaycareEntry model with:
+- Table showing date, sleep, and eating data
+- Proper formatting for different field types
+- Edit and delete buttons
+- Clean, professional styling
+
+The implementation demonstrates the gem's core value proposition: **maximum functionality with minimal code**.

data/docs/CSS_GRID_LAYOUT.md

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+# CSS Grid Layout
+
+ElaineCrud uses CSS Grid-based layouts for all CRUD views, providing flexible and responsive data display with support for field spanning similar to HTML table `colspan` and `rowspan` attributes.
+
+## Overview
+
+The system automatically:
+- Calculates optimal grid columns based on field span configurations
+- Encapsulates each ActiveRecord item in a `<div class="record">` with unique ID
+- Supports both column and row spanning for flexible layouts
+- Maintains inline editing capabilities within the grid structure
+
+## Grid Span Configuration
+
+Fields can span multiple columns and rows using the new grid configuration options:
+
+### Column Spanning (similar to `colspan`)
+
+```ruby
+field :description do |f|
+  f.title "Description"
+  f.grid_column_span 2  # This field will span 2 columns
+end
+
+# Or using hash syntax:
+field :description, 
+  title: "Description",
+  grid_column_span: 3  # This field will span 3 columns
+```
+
+### Row Spanning (similar to `rowspan`)
+
+```ruby
+field :large_content do |f|
+  f.title "Large Content"
+  f.grid_row_span 2  # This field will span 2 rows
+end
+
+# Or using hash syntax:
+field :large_content,
+  title: "Large Content", 
+  grid_row_span: 2
+```
+
+### Combined Column and Row Spanning
+
+```ruby
+field :big_field do |f|
+  f.title "Big Field"
+  f.grid_column_span 2
+  f.grid_row_span 2  # This field will span 2x2 grid cells
+end
+```
+
+## Example Usage
+
+```ruby
+class DaycareBrowserController < ElaineCrud::BaseController
+  model DaycareEntry
+  
+  field :date, title: "Entry Date"
+  
+  field :pupu_sleep, 
+    title: "Pupu's Sleep",
+    options: DaycareEntry::SLEEP_OPTIONS
+  
+  field :pupu_eat,
+    title: "Pupu's Eating", 
+    options: DaycareEntry::EAT_OPTIONS
+  
+  # Comments span 2 columns for more space
+  field :pupu_comments do |f|
+    f.title "Pupu Comments"
+    f.grid_column_span 2
+  end
+  
+  field :pentu_sleep,
+    title: "Pentu's Sleep",
+    options: DaycareEntry::SLEEP_OPTIONS
+    
+  field :pentu_eat,
+    title: "Pentu's Eating",
+    options: DaycareEntry::EAT_OPTIONS
+  
+  # Comments span 2 columns for more space  
+  field :pentu_comments do |f|
+    f.title "Pentu Comments"
+    f.grid_column_span 2
+  end
+end
+```
+
+## How It Works
+
+1. **Grid Container**: Each record is wrapped in a `<div class="record">` with a unique ID based on the ActiveRecord ID (`record_#{record.id}`)
+
+2. **Dynamic Columns**: The grid automatically calculates the total number of columns needed based on field spans
+
+3. **Responsive**: Uses CSS Grid with `minmax(0, 1fr)` for responsive behavior
+
+4. **Inline Editing**: The grid layout supports inline editing just like the table layout
+
+## Template Files
+
+- `elaine_crud/base/index.html.erb` - Main grid-based index view
+- `elaine_crud/base/_edit_row.html.erb` - Grid-based inline edit partial
+
+## CSS Classes
+
+The system automatically applies appropriate Tailwind CSS classes:
+- `col-span-1` to `col-span-6` for column spanning
+- `row-span-1` to `row-span-6` for row spanning
+
+These classes are included in the Tailwind safelist to ensure they're available at runtime.
+
+## Record Encapsulation
+
+Each ActiveRecord item is encapsulated in a `<div class="record">` with a unique ID based on the ActiveRecord ID:
+
+```html
+<div class="record" id="record_123">
+  <!-- Field grid layout here -->
+</div>
+```
+
+This ensures proper isolation and targeting for JavaScript interactions or styling.